Below is a list of recommended reading for the representational artist.

On Kitsch
by Odd Nerdrum

Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters
by Robert Beverly Hale

The Artist’s Complete Guide to Figure Drawing: A Contemporary Perspective on the Classical Tradition
by Anthony Ryder

Human Anatomy for Artists: The Elements of Form
by Eliot Goldfinger

Oil Painting Secrets from a Master
by Linda Cateura

The Complete Oil Painter: The Essential Reference
for Beginners to Professionals by Brian Gorst

Learning to Look: A Handbook for the
Visual Arts by Joshua C. Taylor